Maureen Bunyan

Maureen Bunyan (born February 27, 1946, in Aruba) is an Aruban-American Washington, D.C.–based television journalist. She was the lead co-anchor at WUSA for 22 years from 1973 to 1995. In 1999 she returned to television when she co-anchored WJLA-TV, helping them to rise to number two in the market.

Bunyan is a founder and board member of IWMF (International Women's Media Foundation), a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists. and President of Maureen Bunyan Communications, Inc.

She was named a "Washingtonian of the Year" in 1992 and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Washington Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, "The Silver Circle" of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), and the Broadcast Pioneers Club of Washington.

Biography

Early life Bunyan was the eldest of three daughters, and settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her family when she was 11. Her parents are Wilhelmina and Arthur who are from Guyana and immigrated to Aruba. Bunyan surprised viewers when she announced her resignation on the air during the 6 p.m. news. Channel 9 soon afterwards lost their first-place spot in the ratings to rival WRC-TV.

Return to the DC airwaves Bunyan briefly worked for MSNBC and ran a public relations firm for a few years before returning to the Washington airwaves in February 1999, replacing Paul Berry as the lead anchor at WJLA-TV. Five years later, she was reunited with longtime friend and former WUSA co-anchor Gordon Peterson when they were teamed up on the 6 p.m. news. That pairing helped WJLA move from third to second place in that timeslot behind current leader WRC.

On January 9. 2017, Sinclair Broadcasting, the owners of WJLA, announced her contract was not being renewed. Her last evening newscast with WJLA was on January 31, 2017.

Personal life During the many years she has worked in Washington, she has received numerous awards. Ms. Bunyan also attended Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Harvard University Graduate School of Education, where she earned a master's degree in 1980.

Awards Foremother Award from The National Center for Health Research, 2017